Could you give all your wealth up?

  Could you give your wealth up?

The apostle Paul wrote,

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10.

Now there is nothing wrong with being wealthy. Scripture clearly states it is, the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil.

Money has it’s place in our lives. But it should never be first place. It especially should never be put ahead of God in our lives.

Matthew’s gospel records this incident between a rich young man and Jesus. It states,

"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 

"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,' and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.''" 

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-22.

Would you be willing to give up all your wealth to serve Christ?

Please think about it.

Are you rich before God?

 Are you rich before God?

Jesus said,

"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 

"Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  

And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 

"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:15-21.

Let me start here by saying there is nothing wrong with being rich. Its what emphasis you put on your riches that counts. Do your material possessions come before God? Do you use your wealth to further the kingdom of God and help others less fortunate?

Jesus said,

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" Matthew 6:24.

So the question becomes; If you claim to be a Christian which master are you serving?

Please think about it.

Listen

 Listen

In the book of James we read

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  

Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  

You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you." James 5:1-6.

James here issues a warning to the rich who do not care for the poor.

Now there’s nothing wrong with being rich. There have been and are today many wealthy people within the church. Men and women who have help the church with their wealth evangelize and grow.

The problem when it comes to wealth is what are the priorities you put on it and how do you use it.

Jesus said,

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate theone and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" Matthew 6:24.

James in the above quote tells people who put their trust in their riches with no regard for the poor what will happen to them.

The question is will this happen to you?

Please think about it.

This world or heaven?

   This world or heaven?

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 16:19-21.

Let me make things clear here. There is nothing wrong with being rich. There are many good Christians around the world that are wealthy and serve God to the best of their ability.

The trouble with money and wealth comes when you put your trust in your wealth and not in God. When your wealth becomes your god.

We are called on look to God to provide for us. Jesus said,

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6: 25,26.

If you consider yourself a Christian, where is your trust? In the treasure you have in this world or in heaven?

Please think about it. 

Give it all up?

  Give it all up?

In the Gospel of Matthew we read of this interaction between Jesus and a rich young man.

"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 

"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,' and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.''" 

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-22.

The lesson we learn here as Christians is simple. Are you willing to give up all your material possessions and trust in God to supply all your needs?

Are you?

Please think about it.

You and your treasure

 You and your treasure

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  Matthew 6:19,20

Jesus told this parable,

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 

"Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  

And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 

"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:15-21.

Now there is nothing wrong with being rich and enjoying your wealth. The problem comes if your wealth and pleasure draws you away from God. 

The apostle Paul wrote,

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10

Many years ago my pastors wife was fond of saying, 

“We have only one life. It will soon be past only what’s done for Christ will last.”

So where is your treasure.

Please think about it.

Riches you and God

  Riches, you, and God

Matthews gospel records this,

"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 

"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,' and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.''" 

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-22.

I’m speaking here to those rich people who claim to be Christian. Now let me make one thing clear here. There is nothing wrong with being rich. It’s what priority you put on your riches that count. The apostle Paul tells us,

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10.

Sadly here in Canada and the United States too many people listen to false Preachers and evangelist (all of whom are very wealthy. Many of whom who have as the apostle Paul said wandered from the faith) who preach if give to their ministry and God will bless you with even more than you give. Such teaching is wrong.

The true test of a Christian preacher or evangelist or any Christian is are you willing for the cause of Christ to give up all you have?

I see this happening around the world where people who choose to follow Christ quite often are rejected by their families. Cast out of their villages. Forced to leave their homes. Thrown into prison. Even murdered for believing in Christ.

When I see this I wander if those preachers who preach the prosperity doctrine would be willing to give away all they have? Believing God to supply their daily needs.

Thus my question to you; If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus are you willing to give up everything for the cause of Christ?

Please think about it.

God or this world

  God or this world

The apostle Paul wrote,

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10.

Sadly here in North America where I live there is a movement called the “prosperity doctrine” or “name it claim it” doctrine. 

Those who believe this believe that if you have enough faith in God He will make you healthy and wealthy all the time. That if you give to God (usually meaning the ministry of a particular evangelist or church) you will prosper materially.

Sadly many people follow these false teachers and fall away from God when things don’t work out.

While being wealthy is not wrong. It is the value you place on your wealth, and for that matter your well being. That matters. If you put them ahead of God it is wrong. 

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money Matthew 16:19-21,24. 

If we look at the example of the apostles we see that God came first. They were not wealthy men. They also were willing to be beaten, thrown in prison, and even die for what they believed. All but one died a martyrs death.

As believers in Christ Jesus, particularly here in North America and the western democracies we need to take a look at our life and see who our first love is, God or the things of this world. 

Please think about it.

Whom do you trust?

  Whom do you trust?

The Psalmist writes,

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:8.

Is this your prayer to God? Do you thank God each morning for His unfailing Love? Have you put your trust in God completely? 

These I believe are questions all Christians need to consider. Where does our trust lie?

In the gospel of Matthew we read of this encounter between a young man and Jesus. Matthew records,

"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 

"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honour your father and mother,' and ‘love your neighbour as yourself.''" 

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-22.

So where is your trust? Does the morning truly bring you word of Gods unfailing love? Have you truly put your trust in God? Or are you like the man who came to Jesus and trust in your wealth more than in God? Whom do you trust?

Please think about it.

The Cost

The cost
Matthews gospel records this incident between a young man and Jesus,
"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 
"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 
"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honour your father and mother,' and ‘love your neighbour as yourself.''" 
"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-22
Here we seen a young man who wanted to know how to get eternal life. To which Jesus said obey the commandments. The young man telling Jesus he did. To which Jesus said,
“...If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21.
Upon hearing this Matthew records,
“When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:22.
When it comes to truly following Christ, Jesus must come first in our lives. We must trust completely in God to supply our needs not in the wealth of this world.
The young man here put his trust in his wealth. He believed in God. He followed the commandments, but his faith was in material things not in God.
As believers in Christ Jesus we must remember that our complete trust must be in God. While God may not ask us to give up all our material possessions, our faith must be strong enough that if He does we will be willing to give everything, and rely on Him.
Please think about it.

Could you give up everything?

Could you give up everything?
Matthew’s gospel records this incident between Jesus and a man of wealth.
"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 
"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." 
"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honour your father and mother,' and ‘love your neighbour as yourself.''" 
"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" 
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." Matthew 19:16-22.
The true test of anyone’s faith is if they are willing to give up everything for it. The man in who approached Jesus was not willing to give up his wealth. His trust was in his wealth.
Sadly many calling themselves Christians here in North America are not willing to give up everything they have to follow Christ. Some go as far as saying if you have enough faith in Christ you will become wealthy and your life will be easy. What garbage.
In many countries around the world, individuals who choose to follow Christ put their very life on the line. One statistic I read was that it was estimated one Christian dies every fifteen minutes for their faith. Millions more are in prison world wide for their faith. Others as someone put it “live in very dangerous neighbourhoods”.
I praise God that I live in Canada. A place where I can express what I believe without persecution. Where I can sit down with others of different faiths and lifestyles and share my faith in a none threatening way. The way I see Jesus and the apostles did in the Bible.
That being said I would ask anyone who claims to be a Christian living here in Canada or the United States are you willing to give up all you have and rely fully on God to provide for you?
Please think about it.
Post Script
If you are a Christian please pray for those Christians around the world who are in prison for their faith. Pray also for those who live under persecution for simply believing in Christ Jesus.

How rich are you?

How rich are you?
The gospel of Luke records this Parable of Jesus.
“Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”  
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  
He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  
And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21.
My brother and I are different. Principle in the differences between us is, I’m a Christian, while he’s an atheist.
He likes to say “life is short and he who has all the toys at the end wins.” A statement that couldn’t be more wrong.
When we die all that we’ve accumulated in this life will mean nothing. It will be dispersed between our family, friends and perhaps even the government. Within a century the average person will just be a name in the family tree. Our accomplishments for the most part forgotten.
There is a saying my first pastors wife like to quote it said,

“We have but one life. 

It will soon be past.

 Only what’s done for Christ will last”.

This is true.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21. 
There are two things a rich man and a poor man have in common. One is they will one day die. The other is both have a choice where they will spend eternity.
As a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus. I believe that you can know now where you will spend eternity. The Apostle Paul telling us.
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
Romans 10:9-13.
Please think about it.

The Grass Withers

The Grass Withers
James writes,
“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  
But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.  
For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.” James 1:9-11.
Here James points out that God’s ways are dynamically different from mans ways. The man in a humble position, someone who is probably poor materially, is considered to be in a high position while a rich man is considered to be in a low position.
The way I see it is that the person of humble means needs to trust in the Lord everyday for his provision. Being in such a position can draw a person closer to God. Thus increasing their faith and God wants people of true faith.
To seek out and serve God daily even if it is in just a small way is a high and noble thing to do.
On the other hand the rich person is described as having a low position. While there is nothing wrong with being wealthy, having wealth can lessen your dependance on God. A wealthy person can be tempted to rely on their wealth rather than God. Thus while he may believe in God he may not be as close as the man who must depend on God for his every need. An incident recorded in Matthews Gospel illustrates this,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew19:16-23.
It’s not that a rich man cannot get into heaven, anyone can get into heaven if they have true faith in the saving Grace of God. Having such faith may however at times, mean giving up all our material wealth to follow Christ. If we are wealthy we must be willing to do this should God call us to do so.
James speaking of the rich states,
“the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.”
Wealth is fleeting it is possible to loose it all in an instant. Someone who loves money more than God. Who puts his trust in money could, if he suddenly lost it all, curse God, blame God for his loss and turn away from Him.
That is why the writer of Hebrews tells us,
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5. 
This is why Jesus said,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, 

where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

 where moth and rust do not destroy,

 and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is,

 there your heart will be also.” 

Matthew 6:19-21

Yes you can have lots of money but it should not be your first love.
The apostle Paul warns,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.
This life we live is fragile we can loose it in an instant as Isaiah the prophet said,

“A voice says, “Cry out.” 

And I said, “What shall I cry?” 

“All men are like grass, 

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

because the breath of the LORD blows on them. 

Surely the people are grass. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God stands forever.” 

Isaiah 40:6-8.

The rich man and the poor man will enter eternity materially broke. Where each will spend eternity will be determined by what they believe in this world.
The apostle Paul wrote,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

not by works, so that no one can boast.” 

Ephesians 2:8,9.

The Writer of Hebrews stating,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God,

 because anyone who comes to him 

must believe that he exists

 and that he rewards

 those who earnestly seek him.” 

Hebrews 11:6.

Thus the question becomes. Where is your Faith?
Please think about it.